enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Britni Mikulanecz of Deering lofts a shot as Emily Wight of Westbrook attempts to take a charge Friday night. Deering will meet Noble for the Western Class A title tonight.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Diana Manduca scores on a drive over Audrey Shutts of Westbrook during Deering’s 41-20 victory in a Western Class A semifinal Friday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

It took top-ranked Deering a half to get its offense in gear. Once it did, the game was over.

Using strong inside and outside scoring, the top-ranked Rams took control at the start of the second half, held fifth-seeded Westbrook to one point in the third quarter and breezed into the Western Class A final with a 41-20 victory Friday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Deering will play in its first regional final since 2004, when it won the state title.

After a sluggish first half that ended 13-13, Deering outscored the Blazes, 28-7. The strong inside combination of Claire Ramonas and Kayla Burchill, and the outside shooting of Diana Manduca proved too much for the Blazes.

Westbrook (14-6) beat Deering (18-2) by nine points at Westbrook during the regular season. Ramonas got injured early in that game.

“Having a healthy Claire Ramonas for four quarters was a big part of it tonight,” said Deering Coach Mike D’Andrea. “She does so much for us and is a tough player. Unlike our first game with Westbrook, we found a way to score. We got the ball to her inside. Kayla Burchill relaxed and played, and Diana Manduca stepped up in the second half.”

D’Andrea attributed Deering’s slow start to nerves. After playing the quarterfinal round at the Portland Expo, the tournament shifted to the bigger Civic Center.

Deering’s defense took the Blazes out of their offense in the second half.

“We couldn’t get into any of our sets on offense,” said Westbrook Coach Mike Murphy. “Deering did a great job extending their defense. They’re a type of team that scores off their defense. The rest of the league knew before the season that Deering had the potential to be very explosive. They don’t have a weakness.”

The Rams started the third quarter with inside baskets by Ramonas and Burchill. Nicole Garland set up Ramonas while Ramonas passed in to Burchill. The Rams also were causing havoc on defense, especially at midcourt where the Blazes had trouble getting it across the line.

The Blazes finally scored in the quarter when Maria Romano made 1 of 2 from line with 2:49 left. But Deering stayed hot, scoring the last five points to take a 23-14 lead. Deering outscored the Blazes 10-1 in the third.

When Burchill and Manduca opened the fourth quarter with 3- pointers to make it 29-14, Deering was well on its way. The Rams ran away with an 18-6 edge in the fourth. when Manduca had five points to finish with 12. Ramonas finished with nine.

“I think some of us showed the nerves at the start,” said Manduca. “Once we got into our inside-out game, we were fine. That’s what we do – dribble, drive and shoot. I’ve lost the last two years in the semifinals. I didn’t want to do it again.”

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com